⚖️Responding to the missed session

This is Part 3 of a 4 part series on understanding and responding to missed sessions. Read Part 1 Missed session- business or a therapeutic issue? and Part 2 Making sense of the missed session.

So, how now that you have made meaning out of the missed session, how do you respond? Below is a proposed framework that can help balance therapy work with discussions about finances.

Prerequisite- you’ve already mentioned your policy for missed sessions at the beginning of the therapeutic work.

• Drop a reminder or check in text if someone does not show up to a session. Also, confirm next session’s time.

• As much as possible, have a conversation about finances in sessions rather than on text.

• Discuss meaning of the missed session prior to talking about finances during the next session.

• If someone missed two sessions in a row- then perhaps consider sending the bill on text, and confirm the next session.

• Most importantly, whether you decide to bill them or not, ensure that you clearly communicate the same with a reason.

Conversations about money can be uncomfortable and it is not surprising that so many of us avoid them as a result. However, not talking about it can create ambiguity about your billing process which can confuse the client and impact the therapeutic relationship.   

Until next week,
Suvrita